Monthly Archive for June, 2012

After close to five days at sea and just over halfway to our destInation of Kangerluarsoruseq Greenland we decided to check on our fresh provisions and some of the boats systems to make sure all was well. We quickly weeded out a few heads of brocolli and bell peppers that needed to be thrown into dinner plans sooner rather than later but all the other provissions seemed to be handling their new ocean environment well. We then moved on to determine the fresh water level but a routine check quickly turned into a time consuming game of Tetris as some poorly placed equipment partially obstructed the water tank viewing window. This made it necessary to once again empty the V-berth, open the water tight compartment and re-arrange all its contents so that we could better determine our fresh water level through the viewing window. When we finally made it through the piles of equipment and reached the tank we were shocked at what we discovered. We only had 10 to 20 litres left in the 180 litre tank and we were only haLf way! We began to carefully trace back the origins of this potentially serious issue.

- Had our re-occuring tank leak re-appeared? Possibly, but not certain since we have been monitoring the bilge for water. - Did we use that much water since we last filled up? Possibly since we were in port for days longer than anticipated. - Did we neglect to top up our water supplies before we departed? Yes.

Being at sea with no freshwater is a seriouse matter and for a moment concerns about our health and dehydration overtook our minds, but rather quickly we remembered storing over 48 litres of UTH milk in the bilge of the boat. After some quick math we figured that if we only cook wíth salt water, and everyone is rantioned a litre of milk a day we would be just fine. We will also soon move into the iceberg belt of Greenland where we can easely catch smaller pieces of ice with the net that we brought for this purpouse. The ice will then be placed in a black watersack and left to melt in the sack which because of its color will absorb the warmth of the sun. It will be good practice for parts of our trip where we will rely on this technique for our water supply.

In Nuuk the capital of Greenland we will take the time needed to find out if our tank has a leak as well as mark the amounts on our tank so that we never run dry again.

The last few days before our departure were a confused mix of excitment to finally cast off and utter exhaustion. Our plan to get a full days rest before leaving seemed like a distant dream as our efficiancy was on a downwards spiral. Rana, our documentary filmmaker friend who will join us on our journey, arrived to lend a hand with our final preparations and get aquainted with the boat since he has never sailed before.

We felt it was time to leave so we ignored the remainder of the “to do” list to fuel up and store the final supplies. It was a glorious feeling to cast off and cruise out of Lewisporte marina where a crowd of people had come to wish us luck, cheering and sounding their air horns. The sun was out and while we had to motor out of the bay we still enjoyed every minute of it knowing that it might be our last day of summer.

A few miles out we decided to set sail when the wind started to freshen, being a little too excited we managed to rip the mainsail quite significantly while hoisting it. With spirits still high we didn’t think much of it and started repairing the sails. Hours later in the dark of night the waves picked up and we where still struggeling with the needle and thread. Having no more energy or patience we decided to let the boat drift and go to sleep. We woke Rana up after a long sleep to go on watch since we had no forward momentum but he felt instantly sick in the high waves and complete darkness. I fell asleep to the unhappy sound of Rana’s stomach beeing emptied over the side of the boat.

After hours of well needed sleep we hoisted our sails and headed north toward Greenland. The summer quickly disappeared and was replaced with a thick fog and six degree temperatures. We got back into the familiar rythm of the four hour watches, it will take a few days to adapt and in the mean time the fog, light winds and fatigue have brought a very mellow feeling to the boat.

The boat is provisioned, packed and stuffed with equipment but floating happily in her berth. We leave in just a few hours – the culmination of two years of planning finally begins. We are sailing for Greenland and will make landfall in an abandoned village just south of the capital Nuuk. We will send text only updates while at sea but once we arrive in port we will upload accompanying pictures and video…….stay tuned.

At an early stage of our planning we decided that we needed a backup engine to be self-sustainable in case we bent our shaft or broke our propeller hitting ice. After doing the math we realized that with a petrol backup engine we needed to carry an impossible amount of fuel. Therefore a diesel outboard engine was the only solution. The problem with diesel outboards is that they are very hard to find but after a lot of research and calls to China we found our engine. Importing the engine turned out to be a nightmare and we were so happy when the engine finally arrived on a rainy day in Lewisporte. Having seen almost no specifications on the engine we had to come up with a system of mounting it on the transom and we spent almost a day trying to get it running while chatting to people who were passing by wondering about our bizarre contraption. The electrical starter was defective but after bypassing the electrical fuel valve we managed to get it started with the pull start. Now China engine is safely stored under the galley table and we really hope that it stays there for the entire trip.

All the hard work is starting to pay off. The boat is in the water with mast up and sails on. We have set up most of our new electronics on the mast and radar arch and finally the end of preparations seems to be within sight. There is still alot to do but our spirits are high.

What has been great is that we have had some very interesting and helpful people appear in our lives, as if we were meant to meet. Starting with John the Arctic pilot who gave us extensive details of people and places in the Arctic who could possibly help us find parts or pieces should we need it. He went so far as to offer to bring us peices up on a flight if he is in the area.

Then there is Peter the Arctic weather router. We had a great conversation with him on the phone and have decided we will not only communicate in the Canadian Arctic with him on a regular basis but also during our voyage up the coast of Greenland, his knowledge of the ice conditions, approach and helpfulness with regard to everything Arctic has put us at eaze and we look forward to talking to him regularly.

Next we met Tom a meteorologist from environment Canada who focuses on weather in the Arctic. He has been amazing and provided us with all the weather and ice information links we could hope for. He really filled an important gap in our knowledge regarding downloadable weather and ice products that we can access through our satellite phone and weather fax.

Finally while I was in St.Johns this past weekend I meet one of the officers of the Saint-Laurent icebreaker and went aboard the ship to discuss our trip. I was shown where each of the five Canadian ice breakers will be during our expedition and they were more than happy to offer the use of their ice expert on board to us whenever needed. We will keep in touch with the icebreakers on a daily basis to update our position.

The ice modifications started well but all to quickly the challenges and projects started to overwhelm us. One issue was our particularly poor fix:break ratio. I managed to put my knee through the water tank, then Edvin made it larger with his knee then we managed to break a teak bulkhead and soon, along with other acts of involuntary destruction and vandalism, we were days behind schedule.

The construction of a “water tight” impact compartment at the front of the boat quickly grew in complexity. While a great safety feature it soon became our never-ending project. Day after day seemed to vanish in that dark and cramped part of the boat. Hours of grinding, fitting wood, epoxying, glassing, sanding and painting. Nothing worked well. Edvin managed to weld the broken tank but we could do little about the other set backs – paint taking days to dry in the humid weather, epoxy never curing and the lack of appropriate repair materials.

But we persevered and finished the compartment and we are extremely pleased with the results, even though we just realized there is a hidden leak in the water tank. Within a day of finishing that job we completed a series of others: refinishing the windvane; installing the mast top camera and preparing the boat for launch. We are beginning to see the end……but is there really ever an end to boat repair or expedition preparations?